Microsoft unveils new $US200 Lumia 650 phone

MICROSOFT has unveiled a new Windows 10 phone which will retail for less than $US200.

The new Lumia, which will be released ahead of Samsung's S7 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, follows the release of the Lumia 550, Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL.

The Lumia 650 comes in matte black and matte white, and will become available in select European markets beginning Feb. 15, starting from a suggested retail price around $199 USD before local taxes and subsidies.

Pricing and availability for Australia has not been announced yet.

Microsoft says the 5" OLED display is bright and crisp; colors really pop and blacks are deep and clear.

"It's by far our most beautiful screen ever at this price point,'' the company's Samuli Hänninen said in a blog.

"And with a profile of only 6.9mm and weighing just 122 grams, it's incredibly thin and light. It's a phone I'm proud to show off.Lumia 650 in white Lumia 650 in white

The phone features a 5MP wide-angle, front-facing camera and an 8MP rear-facing camera.

Lumia 650 runs the latest Microsoft Office apps right out of the box, allowing you to create and edit documents on-the-go and sync them to the cloud via OneDrive.

It also offers one click setup of common everyday tools like Office 365.\

As we've sharpened our mobile strategy with a new focus in phones, the Lumia 650 is another step towards bringing Windows 10 to more than a billion devices,'' Mr Hanninen said.

"Our phones will continue to play a key role in this effort. We're improving our platform with regular updates and are committed to continuing to deliver the most productive and secure Windows-based smartphones to Windows fans and business customers."